Best Lightweight Laptops

Somewhere between a full-size laptop and a trim little tablet, you'll find this category of powerful, lightweight computers. Just in time for going back to school, we tested eight ultrabooks, including Apple's MacBook Air, to pick the perfect study partners.

Sleekest Design

MODEL: Apple MacBook Air Ultrabook

$1,000 (starting) to $1,600 ($1,300 as tested)

PROS:

All the allure of Apple's operating system and aesthetic for about the same price as a PC. Our engineers deemed it slimmest overall. Highlights: a smoothly operating trackpad; a backlit keyboard; speedy start-up; impressive battery life (almost 5 hours); great screen quality.

CONS:

Has just two USB ports and an SD card slot. Audio was subpar, and video was choppy: For heavy multimedia use, consider the more powerful MacBook Pro.

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